Uganda’s deaf demand tax exemption

Starved of services to enable them participate in national development, Uganda deaf community says the government has no moral authority to tax them.

The Uganda National Association of the Deaf (UNAD) recently argued that the government should exempt Ugandans with hearing and speech impairments from paying direct taxes such as Pay As You Earn.

UNAD says the continued taxation of deaf Ugandans, despite government’s failure to provide sign language interpretation and other vital services, subjects the group to extra expenses, which deprives them of income to live dignified lives.

The executive director of UNAD, Ambrose Murangira, argues that it is always difficult for the deaf to follow key national functions, presidential addresses, and deliberations in parliament on televisions due to lack of sign language interpreters. This, he explained, excludes them from national issues. Read more